What else could explain the sex ratio? Biology. For example, the brains of people with autism show patterns of gene expression that look more like those of typical males than typical females. Some of these genes are specific to microglia, immune cells in the brain that clear away debris and sculpt neuronal connections.
There are four boys diagnosed for every girl. Why the gender discrepancy? Researchers believe that the typical male brain produces more repetitive or restricted behaviors and more narrowly focused interests than the more empathetic and verbally skillful female brain, according to Dr. Sara Jane Webb.
The extreme male brain theory posits that it is an overdevelopment in the male traits of cognition that causes ASD patients to over-systematize, leading to a breakdown of verbal and social capacities. Some studies have found correlations between fetal testosterone levels and ASD.
In 2023, the CDC reported that approximately 1 in 36 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to 2020 data. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
Research scientists have determined that autism manifests differently in women than in men. While both men and women have special interests, women's interests are more mainstream compared to men. Girls with autism will mimic others' mannerisms, making it less likely to detect autism in girls.
Autistic girls are sometimes better at controlling their behavior in public. They might have learned early on to smile or make eye contact. They might also be more interested in making friends than boys with autism are. All of this can make for a more subtle version of autism that a doctor might not recognize.
Research suggests that autism genes are usually inherited from the father, despite some research showing it's passed down from the mother.
Increased awareness and screening efforts may reveal why autism is becoming more common. It might seem like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more prevalent nowadays than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Statistics from health organizations suggest that autism spectrum disorder diagnoses are on the rise.
1 in 100 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as of 2021. Autism prevalence has increased 178% since 2000. The country with the highest rate of diagnosed autism in the world is Qatar, and the country with the lowest rate is France.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers have shown that the risk of autism increases for firstborn children and children of older parents. The risk of a firstborn with an autism spectrum disorder triples after a mother turns 35 and a father reaches 40.
ASD occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. It is more than 4 times more common among boys than among girls.
If someone in your family has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you may be more likely to have a child with ASD. ASD can look very different from person to person, so taking a careful family health history can be important for early diagnosis.
Autism is not an illness
It means your brain works in a different way from other people. It's something you're born with. Signs of autism might be noticed when you're very young, or not until you're older. If you're autistic, you're autistic your whole life.
Inheritance. ASD has a tendency to run in families, but the inheritance pattern is usually unknown. People with gene changes associated with ASD generally inherit an increased risk of developing the condition, rather than the condition itself.
Advances in diagnostic capabilities and greater understanding and awareness of autism spectrum disorder seem to be largely driving the increase, the Rutgers researchers said. But there's probably more to the story: Genetic factors, and perhaps some environmental ones, too, might also be contributing to the trend.
It is estimated that 1 in 100 people in Australia have Autism. In 2018 there were 205,200 Australians with Autism, a 25.1% increase from the 164,000 in 2015 (Source: ABS SDAC 2018– Autism in Australia). This means that if you have Autism you are not alone.
The concept of autism was coined in 1911 by the German psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler to describe a symptom of the most severe cases of schizophrenia, a concept he had also created.
Due to its lower prevalence in females, autism was always thought to have a maternal inheritance component. However, research also suggests that the rarer variants associated with autism are mostly inherited from the father.
A 2022 study found that a routine second-trimester ultrasound could detect early signs of autism during pregnancy,18 including anomalies in the heart, head, and kidneys. These anomalies were found in 30% of fetuses who were later diagnosed with ASD, a three times higher rate than typical fetuses.
In the United States, prenatal genetic testing (PGT) for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is currently available via clinical genetic services. Such testing may inform parents about their unborn child's risk for ASD, prepare parents for the birth of an affected infant, and allow them to arrange for early interventions.
Prevention. There's no way to prevent autism spectrum disorder, but there are treatment options. Early diagnosis and intervention is most helpful and can improve behavior, skills and language development. However, intervention is helpful at any age.
The overall risk of having a child with autism is relatively low. The CDC says that the average risk is about 1.7%. But this risk goes up as the mother gets older. For women under 30, the chances of having a child with autism are about 1 in 500.
Scientists use the term "environmental" to refer to influences other than changes in a gene's DNA. Autism risk factors, for example, appear to include such influences as parental age at conception, maternal nutrition, infection during pregnancy and prematurity.